Growing Up Healthy

Growing Up Healthy is a signature program of the Orange County Partnership for Young Children. The initiative builds from the Partnership’s successful implementation of Preventing Obesity by Design from 2008-2010 and SHAPE NC from 2011-2016. Since January 2017 we have
continued to provide the same quality services under the title of Growing Up Healthy (GUH).

Growing Up Healthy provides on-site consultation and technical assistance to child care centers
and family child care homes in Orange County. Priority is given to sites that serve a majority of
low-resource children and families, accept child care subsidy and NC Pre-K program sites.

A limited number of centers are enrolled in the Growing Up Healthy program for intensive
consultation and TA. The TA uses the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for
Child Care (NAPSACC) on-line assessment survey. Together the director and TA complete the
NAPSACC, set goals and develop an action plan to work towards best practice in one or more of
the following areas:

Improving Child Nutrition

Increasing Physical Activity

Enhancing the Outdoor Learning Environment

Expanding Farm to Child Care

Reducing Screen Time

Supporting Breastfeeding

Interwoven in all of the Growing Up Healthy activities is also a focus on incorporating Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) into everyday learning in preschool and promoting literacy in all aspects of the early learning environment. In addition to those centers enrolled in Growing Up Healthy, the TA may work with other sites across the county to provide consultation and make recommendations to help achieve best practice.

The Growing Up Healthy Program also provides training and workshops open to any Orange County child care provider on various topics and programs relevant to the focus areas such as Be Active Kids and Breast Feeding Friendly Child Care training. The Growing Green Network meetings provide education and information on creating child care gardens and increasing the provision of fresh, seasonal and local foods in child care food programs and promotes Farm to ECE. From time to time additional training may also be offered by guest presenters on special topics such as Project Learning Tree and Growing Up WILD.

To learn more about what the Growing Up Healthy Program can do for your child care center or home, contact the Project Manager, Maria Hitt at 919-967-9091.